How Often Do You Clean Your Pipes?

[mawnansmiff]

"In fact, pipe cleaners are usually made of polyester..."
In my experience it is only the bristled cleaners that are made of polyester, the fluffy ones I use are made from unbleached cotton.
Perhaps you ought shop around?
"I found that is very important to clean the bottom of the bowl, the main cause of sour pipe comes from there."
I would disagree chum, the main cause of a sour pipe is the oft neglected shank, lots of tarry deposits lurk in there. That is where bristled cleaners and alcohol are best used.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jpmcwjr]

There's cleaning and there's cleaning! Since switching to hot water rinses every few bowls, I've not had to use alcohol-salt for a deep cleaning. The mortise gets swabbed out every 2-5 bowls, but other than pipe cleaners for stem and paper towel for chamber after most smokes, that does it.

 

[shotime]

after every bowl

 

[oldmansmoking]

I clean mine every now and then. Probably once every 3 months. But then I am not OCD when it comes to pipes. One can become obsessive.

Do the pipes rule you or do you rule your pipes?

 

[jpmcwjr]

There's some sort of maintenance after every bowl, for most folks. But a real cleaning happens when needed in some households, others prefer a schedule. Big difference in how you define "cleaning"!

 

[kirkland]

Inside ? Hardly ever...unless they start getting sour/skunky. A little Everclear on pipecleaners and done. I do have a habit of doing a quick polishing of the briar and stem with my shirt before packing a bowl though. It looks nice and they always smoke better when they look nice. Much like waxing your car it always drives better afterwards.

 

[rcanderson]

I clean the stem and shank with several pipe cleaners after each bowl, and at the end of the day (3-5 bowls) I take the stem apart and use a q-tip dipped in olive oil to coat the inside of the shank to protect the mortise and keep the alcohol from drying it out too much, then use a shank brush dipped in PGA to clean the shank out. After the shank brush, I use a bristled pipe cleaner, then as many regular pipe cleaners as needed until they come out clean. Then I put it up to dry for a few days and go onto the next pipe in my rotation.
Before I use the pipe again I take a bottle brush and spin it lightly around the bowl which takes off any soft cake residue but leaves the hardened cake behind. It is just a little more aggressive than the paper towel trick that many people use.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"use a q-tip dipped in olive oil to coat the inside of the shank to protect the mortise and keep the alcohol from drying it out too much,...."
Well that's a method I never heard afore...putting olive oil inside the shank 8O
What do you think you are protecting the mortice from by so doing?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[rcanderson]

I have had a few older pipe smokers, including my grandfather, who had advised me to put a thin coat of mineral oil or olive oil on the inside of the shank to keep the alcohol from drying it out and possibly causing it to crack at the thinnest part of the pipe.
Not sure if it actually works or not, but Granddad swore by it, and he was smoking his grandfather's pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If you simply flushed the bowl and airway with hot water, you'd need neither alcohol nor olive oil. The latter will turn rancid after some period of time anyway.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"The latter will turn rancid after some period of time anyway."
Indeed it will. I'm still amazed when I read of folks using it on the outer bowl. It must stink after a while :crazy:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[wayneteipen]

I haven't cleaned any of my pipes in at least a couple years if not more. My pipes are lucky to get a pipe cleaner run through them once or twice a year. I like the taste of a 'dirty' pipe. I prefer to spend my time smoking and making them rather than cleaning them.